Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, is a scholarly religious congregation of the Catholic Church that was founded on 27 September 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola, a former Spanish soldier. The society was organized like an army, with its members being nicknamed "God's Marines" for going overseas, living in potentially extreme conditions, and spreading Christianity; its leader was named the "Superior General". Jesuits strove for the defense and propagation of Catholicism and the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine. The Jesuits were also devoted to charitable works and "finding God in all things" (through methods such as meditation and contemplation). The Jesuits were persecuted across Europe starting in the 18th century, with bans occurring in Portugal in 1759, France in 1764, the Two Sicilies, Malta, Parma, and the Spanish Empire in 1767, and Austria and Hungary in 1782; monarchies attempting to secularize political power saw the Jesuits as too closely aligned to the Pope, too international, and too autonomous from the monarchs. From 1773 to 1814, the Jesuits were banned by the Papacy itself, but Pope Pius VII lifted this ban on them in 1814. In 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first Jesuit pope as Pope Francis.